Comments on: Everything Is Going Just Great For Jeremy Tyler

By: Chris

Chris — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 07:14:46 +0000

When you are playing at that level, you are putting your health on the line, and subsequently, your career on the line. Why should people be expected to do it for almost nothing while others reap the benefits. He made a smart decision to go play for money while he knows he can, and at a higher level of competition. He should develop his game and mentally mature faster than he would in high school.

And to say that the NFL and NBA can’t run developmental leagues is just plain stupid. Most NHL teams have more than one.

By: Tom

Tom — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 21:20:58 +0000

The NFL and NBA do have developmental league, it’s called the NCAA.

By: Jeff

Jeff — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 20:20:01 +0000

“It’s ridiculous and exploitative, but those leagues and franchises can’t afford to run a baseball or soccer-style minor league system.”

This is silliness. Make that sentence the headline of this post… it sums up your argument perfectly. YES, the current system is corrupt to its core. YES, players get basically robbed for several years if they ever want to play professional football or basketball in America. YES, the vast majority of professional sports league around the world have a minor league and/or developmental framework in place that is funded by the teams and leagues.

But the NFL and NBA are so incredibly special and distinct that these two leagues alone are unable to afford such a thing. Also, these two leagues alone would leave young players in ruin if they actually established minor league systems.

If the NFL and NBA actually needed to run a minor league system, of course they could afford to do so. They would do it because it made economic sense, not out of any sense of fairness. Our current system of forcing young players to toil for free (to them) and for profit (by others) allows the leagues to happily avoid this.

Last, how in the world do you get from (1) acknowledging that Jennings’ year playing professionally in Europe was incredibly beneficial to him to (2) concluding that TWO years of a similar apprenticeship by Tyler is “superfluous” and will itself create questions about his maturity? Tyler is seventeen years old, living away from home in a foreign country for the first time, and he’s learning his trade. As I wrote above, Maccabi Haifa’s season started on October 25th. They have played a total of THREE games. Tyler will be NBA draft eligible in 2011. Let’s see how much he has earned by then and how his game has matured.

And T-Bone, there is no evidence at all that Tyler “isn’t smart enough to get a diploma” or lacks intelligence. If a 17 year old senior in high school began playing professional golf or tennis, would you make similar comments? I truly doubt it.

By: T-Bone

T-Bone — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 19:30:00 +0000

I think Jeremy Tyler cost himself hundreds of thousands (if not millions)by not graduating highschool. If the man isn’t smart enough to get a diploma, how is he going to be smart enough to pick up an offense? Read plays on the fly? Intelligence isn’t everything to pro scouts, but, they’d like to at least know you aren’t going to poop your pants while drooling saliva when playing in the NBA.

I would have had no issue had he waited a year and went pro in Israel. But not finishing highschool? That’s some red flags there

By: McD

McD — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 19:03:43 +0000

It’s ridiculous and exploitative, but those leagues and franchises can’t afford to run a baseball or soccer-style minor league system. Hell, one economic downturn and suddenly we’re looking at one, maybe two NFL teams moving and a possible reduction in salary cap numbers for the NBA because of low ticket sales and profits.

A minor league system would be great. Go ahead and create it. And then explain to all the kids who fail in that system, not the 5% that succeed, what they’re supposed to do with their lives without even a basic American education.

And I bet Tyer will succeed, but my whole point is that this extra year in the pros is totally pointless. He could have stayed for his senior year, graduated high school like any idiot can, and THEN pull a Brandon Jennings. After all, Jennings benefitted a ton from that year. The extra one is just superfluous and a showcase for his immaturity and inability to handle basic things like, you know, graduating high school. This extra year just creates questions in the minds of scouts and GM’s.